Move On and Recover
by hmweasley
Summary: Gale and Johanna both wanted to escape their home districts, and a military job in District 2 seemed the easiest way to do that. They hadn't been expecting to run into each other there, and they certainly weren't expecting to come to rely on each other.
1. Confusion

**A/N: This story is a "companion" story of sorts to my previous story Rebuild and Recover. That story follows Katniss and Peeta for roughly two years after Mockingjay. This story is going to follow Gale and Johanna during that same time frame. There are about three points where the stories will overlap. If you've read Rebuild and Recover, you probably know what those three points are, and they give you some hints as to where this story is going. But the two stories aren't heavily reliant on each other, and they can each be read completely independently of each other. Nothing about Rebuild and Recover gives you a whole lot of background for this story. Just some hints.**

**Just like with Rebuild and Recover, this story came out of the Hunger Games 100 theme challenge. This is my fourth story for that challenge, and each chapter is centered around one of the themes. This story actually concludes the challenge for me, which I've been working on for several years. It feels amazing to be done.**

**Finally, I would really like to thank my amazing beta readers HungryForMore74 and Eira Lloyd who helped make this story much better than it would have been otherwise. I don't like putting author's notes unless I really need to, so just know that that thank you applies to the story as a whole.**

**I hope you all enjoy, and I'll shut up now and get to the story!**

"_It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things." - Theodore Roosevelt_

"_There is one consolation in being sick; and that is the possibility that you may recover to a better state than you were ever in before." - Henry David Thoreau_

Chapter 1: Confusion

"_The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares." - Henri Nouwen_

Gale glanced around the plain, white building. Its newness was betrayed in the fresh paint smell, if not in the overly clean look of it all. District 2 hadn't fared too well in the rebellion there at the end. It was definitely a good thing. The military could have a bit of a fresh start now with entirely new buildings as well as a more diverse make up with soldiers from all of the districts.

So far, the workforce seemed heavy with District 2 and 13 citizens, but Gale had seen people from every district since he arrived several days ago. A few even looked like they were from the Capitol with their extravagant dress, and Gale was looking forward to seeing how they reacted when their fashion was taken from them and replaced with the standard military-issued fare. That might kill them before the manual labor.

Most of the future soldiers milling about were here to be ordinary soldiers. Very few were lucky enough to have a position like Gale, who had been made a weapons specialist immediately upon entry. He wasn't high up on the military ladder in the grand scheme of things, but it was a good enough position to grant him a bit more freedom than those underneath him. One of those freedoms was his own private lodging instead of the barracks that the privates had to live in for the duration of their training and which many of them would stay in afterwards.

Even with the private room, Gale had spent a lot of his free time so far out here in one of the common areas of their housing. It was easier to observe others than be alone with his thoughts. It helped that he didn't have a lot of free time. He spent more hours working than what was required of him. Those long hours also meant he hadn't made many friends yet, and no one who was milling around on their off hours were willing to approach him either. Gale wondered if they recognized him or were just off put by his outward demeanor.

Gale was startled from his thoughts when someone plopped down in the chair next to him. He'd been so occupied with watching a rowdy group playing some sort of game that he hadn't even noticed he was being approached. Gale was startled even more when he took in the form of Johanna Mason smirking at him.

"You should close your mouth, Hawthorne. Don't want any flies to fly in."

"What are you doing here?" Gale asked before he could even take in her uniform or the specialist insignia that she wore.

"I work here, like you."

"Doing what exactly?"

Gale was completely aware of what had happened the last time Johanna had been a soldier. It hadn't ended well, and he had no idea how she'd been allowed back into a uniform. She should have been disqualified for poor mental health.

"Public relations specialist," she grumbled. "It was the only thing they'd let me do. I'm not allowed in combat, but they'll let me smile at people and give the army a good name. It's all a bit too Capitol-like for my tastes."

"Then why are you here?"

Johanna shrugged, propping her feet on the table that rested in front of them. "I don't like failing. I couldn't be a soldier once, so I was determined to try again, even if I don't see combat. It's sort of a 'fuck you' thing to the military."

Gale couldn't help a small smile. "I bet they love that."

"Plus, there's the whole fresh start thing. I never saw much of District 2 before this. Less painful memories, even if most of what I see is a military compound."

So she was in a similar situation to Gale. Maybe Gale's previous foray as a soldier had been more successful than hers, but they were both running from their home districts. Gale thought of his family and Katniss who had all returned to District 12. Did Johanna have people she was avoiding too or was it only ghosts?

Gale took a moment to really take in Johanna's appearance. It was the first time he'd seen her close up and been able to talk since District 13 when she broke down after being sprayed with water. They'd been in the Capitol together once their side won the rebellion but hadn't actually come into contact. Gale had only managed to see her from far away. She looked cleaner now, and Gale wondered if she'd begun to overcome her fears of water.

Johanna did seem very well put together. She had clearly taken the pains to present herself as such, but Gale could still see the hint of pain in her eyes and the slight twitch of her hands that hinted at hidden anxiety.

Gale had come to District 2 hoping to escape all the reminders of his past, yet here was Johanna Mason, one of the few people who could have been considered a friend of Katniss Everdeen. It seemed like a cruel irony, and it seemed even crueler that Gale was thankful for her presence. This was the closest thing to a non-work-related conversation that Gale had had in days.

Johanna's twitching increased the longer she sat next to Gale, and finally, she couldn't bear the awkward pauses any longer. She stood up abruptly and looked down at Gale with a frown.

"I need to go. Things to do." She waved awkwardly, not staying to hear Gale's goodbyes.

She managed to make it all the way back to her room without any incidents, and she slid down the door as soon as it was closed behind her. Johanna had known that Gale was in District 2, but the military compound here was massive. She'd hoped they wouldn't run into each other and she could push the reminders he brought up aside. Then she'd seen him sitting there and been unable to stop herself from approaching him. It would have been so easy to just keep walking and not speak to him, but she hadn't. She growled in frustration with herself.

Johanna tried to be brave to the outside world, but she'd given up being brave to herself a long time ago. That's why she hadn't bothered justifying such an obvious act of cowardice as moving away from District 7. The military job had seemed like a convenient excuse to others, and she took it even though she knew it would continue to hold painful memories close to her. Nothing could be as bad as District 7 or the Capitol. She hadn't known about Gale Hawthorne being here until she'd already accepted the job, but she thought she would have taken it regardless.

That didn't make looking him in the face any easier. He had a similar look to Katniss, which seemed to be the same look of the majority of people Johanna met from District 12, and Johanna often saw Katniss when she looked at him. There were few people living who could dredge up as many painful memories for Johanna as Katniss Everdeen could.

She supposed the girl shouldn't, and on a logical level, she knew she didn't have anything to blame Katniss for. In fact, she was thankful for the end to the terrible cycle of the games both in and out of arenas, and she would always be thankful for the ways Katniss helped her back in District 13. None of that meant Johanna had an easy time looking the girl in the face.

Not being able to look at Gale was even more ridiculous considering he wasn't Katniss, and Johanna could name a million differences in their appearances without searching for them. The man himself didn't bring up any terrible feelings. Johanna knew he'd designed the bomb that killed Katniss's sister, and she was smart enough to guess that that had at least a small bit to do with his decision to take the job here in District 2 instead of returning home. But none of that had really affected her as she'd been stuck back in District 13 during all of it. No, what bothered her was his similarity to Katniss, not even his former friendship with her. It all struck Johanna as rather ridiculous.

Now he knew she was here, and Johanna figured she'd be seeing more of him in the future. The thought left her with a sick feeling in her stomach. She could only hope that this made her stronger in the long run.


	2. Freedom

Chapter 2: Freedom

"_There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires." - Nelson Mandela_

Gale ran his hand over his face. He'd been staring at blueprints for hours, and the lines were beginning to blur in front of him. It was nearly impossible to make any of it out.

Everyone else had gone back to their lodgings, whether it was barracks or private rooms, hours ago. Only Gale remained in the room where the weapons specialists all did their jobs. It wasn't that unlike the similar area housed in District 13. Or that used to be housed in District 13. Gale wasn't sure what the area looked like now that District 13's military had merged with Panem's here in District 2, leaving only a small base back in District 13.

Papers and tablets littered almost every table in the room with the rest being scattered with weapon prototypes and the like. Gale's job was centered around explosives, but weapons of all types were designed in here. Their job was a slow one, extremely unlike how Gale had been used to operating in District 13. Now that Panem was at peace, there wasn't a huge demand for weapons. Paylor, now president, had requested for weapon development to continue, but there was nothing of incredible importance to be hurried along. For that reason, most of Gale's colleagues took it easy and weren't much bothered by the slow pace. It drove Gale insane.

At the beginning of his work here in District 2, Gale had been hesitant about doing the very thing he'd been hired to do. He'd distrusted Panem his entire life after all, and after placing his trust in District 13 and the rebellion, had been betrayed in an even more intimate way than he ever had been the Capitol when Coin used a bomb of his own design for a means he had never intended from it. Now, here he was, designing weapons for the government again.

Gale did trust Paylor though, and as president, she remained the final authority over military operations. She was a good woman, and one who had only ever wanted the military's existence to protect the freedom of the people. Paylor's idealism didn't seem to hide a secret desire for power. She was where she was because of her ideas of what Panem should be and the knowledge that, if someone had to guide the country, she might as well step up to make sure it was done correctly. Under her authority, Gale had slowly begun to grow more trusting of the military that was receiving his weapons.

Most of the officers had also been a part of either Panem's, the rebellion's, or District 13's army, but the vast majority did nothing but accept orders. They had no desire for domination or harming citizens. Under the command of a peaceful government, they had no desire to use their weapons needlessly. If they used any of Gale's designs, it would be because it was necessary, and it was good that Gale was beginning to believe that. He thought it was necessary for his mental well-being.

Gale wasn't against the use of force. He fully acknowledged that sometimes you had to kill in order to get the intended results, and if the results could outweigh the means, then you just had to go for it. Prim's death had been a wake up call to evaluate such an outlook. It was, after all, the same outlook Coin had shared, and that had resulted in an innocent girl that Gale had watched grow up being blown to shreds.

That should have been enough to make Gale do a 180, but it hadn't been. There was still this part deep inside of him that couldn't stop believing that sometimes killing was necessary in order to win as long as you intended to create a better world. Gale would have never dropped the bomb that killed Prim if he'd been in control. That was going too far, but he still saw Coin's outlook far too well. He knew why she did what she did, and he couldn't fault her too much for it even though it was a decision he never would have made himself.

That, more than anything, was why he'd escaped District 12. It was tough to face your best friend when you had thoughts that justified her little sister's murder. That left him feeling even more guilt than just being one of those who designed the bomb that had done the deed.

Gale pushed those thoughts aside quickly, just as he always did. This was why he spent so much time wrapped up in his work. It was mind-numbing to only focus on the abstract of creating the weapons. That job didn't have to involve any thoughts of the morality behind their use. Gale enjoyed the technical aspects of it all and the strategy involved in planning how they would work. He could think of that all day and not once raise the question of what it would be like for one of these to actually be used. Those thoughts took him to dark places.

Besides, Gale thought yet again, none of that mattered. They were at peace. No one was dropping any bombs. These were just precautionary. He didn't have to worry about anyone dying. That didn't happen anymore. They were at peace. If something were to happen, then the weapons would be there to assure that the people of Panem got to keep their freedom and well-being. Those were what these were for. They didn't have to bring terror. But, Gale reminded himself, they were at peace, and none of that mattered.


	3. Joy

"_Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with." - Mark Twain_

The people weren't happy about the military having any sort of large explosives after the tragedy they had witnessed during the rebellion. In fact, a lot of people weren't happy about the military's existence, and Johanna's job consisted of trying to placate those people and assure them that a functioning government needed a military. A sentiment she wasn't sure she shared herself.

Recently, the call for Panem to unarm had been particularly loud. One man was leading the movement. Some Douglas or something guy. Johanna only bothered to remember the name when not doing so could result in her being fired. He'd built up quite a loud crowd, and now Johanna had been given an assignment to give all the bombs in Panem's arsenal a better image.

As soon as Johanna's job had become pushing the message "bombs equal good things" she'd known what, or who, that would entail. She'd avoided Hawthorne for roughly two months now, and it would be for nothing thanks to this assignment. They were supposed to work together since Johanna knew nothing of these weapons, and Gale knew everything about every bomb that Panem had. At least it seemed that way to Johanna. He seemed to have designed every single one or at least have been part of the team who did, but Johanna couldn't say that with certainty. Maybe she should check that as part of her research.

Using the "these were designed by the Mockingjay's best friend" card couldn't hurt. Sure Katniss had technically started an entire war, but for some reason, all these anti-war people still saw the Mockingjay as a symbol of peace. Johanna thought they were all nuts even if she could empathize with them on some points.

Johanna paused outside the door that led to Gale's workplace. Only authorized personnel were allowed in here, and Johanna had only become authorized earlier that day. She still couldn't actually get to any of the weapons, only the areas where some plans and designs were laying about. Those were almost as dangerous in the wrong hands.

There were private offices off of the large, open work areas that people filled, and Johanna wondered briefly if Gale was distinguished enough to get one of those. She hadn't been told to go to an office, only this particular area, and she was starting to worry that she'd have to wander around looking for Gale when she spotted him at a large table across the room.

There was no one else in the area immediately around him. Gale was hunched over a large sheet of paper with some sort of computer tablet also at his side. He kept glancing between the two as Johanna approached, occasionally clicking something on the tablet or scribbling something down on the paper.

Once she was standing over him, Johanna cleared her throat. Gale didn't look surprised that someone was standing over him, but Johanna supposed it was normal in a communal workplace such as this.

"I knew it would be you they'd send," Gale commented, turning back to the tablet.

"They didn't give you my name? Because I was told specifically to find Gale Hawthorne."

Gale shook his head. "All they said was that I'd be working with someone from PR and PR would send them down today."

"Yet you knew it would be me."

Gale shrugged. "I had a feeling that day after you sat down next to me that we were never going to actually escape each other. You've been avoiding me for a couple of months, so we had to see each other again eventually."

From the way he talked, Johanna almost thought Gale had specifically asked for her in order to make her miserable. Her presence didn't seem to have the same effect on him that he had on her.

"I guess," Johanna allowed. "The universe seems to hate me like that."

"Don't tell me you're one of those fate people."

Johanna smirked. "Do I seem like one of those 'fate people'?"

"No, that's exactly why it would be disappointing if you were."

He was still looking between the tablet and the paper covered in drawings which made no sense to Johanna, but he seemed far less absorbed in it than he had been before Johanna approached.

"Do I think there's a higher power up there watching over our lives? No. Do I think the entire universe is designed to screw everyone over because the world is a cruel, cruel place? Yes."

"That I could agree with." Gale pushed his tablet aside, finally giving Johanna his full attention. "So, all I know is that I'm supposed to give you the information you need to make our weapons look good, and you're doing the rest."

Johanna sighed. "Unfortunately."

"What do you need to know then?"

Johanna frowned as she thought about it. "I have no idea where to start. I don't know the first thing about explosives. I can hardly even use a gun. Give me sharp things that I can stab people with, I'm good to go, but I don't know what to ask about bombs."

It was hard for Johanna to admit openly that she was inferior to Hawthorne on a subject, but he didn't seem determined to rub it in her face, even if he didn't bother to conceal his slight smirk.

"Okay then," he said. "How about we start with a brief overview of some of the different bombs we have? Then you'll have some idea of what we're talking about."

"Sounds like as good of an idea as any."

Johanna listened intently as Gale held the tablet in front of her and showed her different prototypes of bombs housed in this compound. It was clear as Gale talked that he was proud of these. Johanna thought maybe she could work that into her report somehow. If Gale was the one talking, it would be hard to see how bombs could be inherently bad.

For four days in a row, Johanna came back to see Gale at the same time every day. She took pages and pages of notes on both the weapons and how she could give them some positive PR. To Johanna's surprise, the time spent with Gale became much easier than she could have imagined. The more time she spent with Gale, the less she saw Katniss whenever she looked at him. They really looked nothing alike, and the similar mannerisms she thought she had sensed before seemed to give way to entirely new ones unique to Gale.

It helped that she'd now talked to Gale more in the past week than she had anyone else since arriving in District 2. Other than Annie all the way in District 4, Johanna didn't have anyone to call a friend at the moment, so of course any sort of prolonged contact would result in Johanna getting far too attached.

To be fair, others wouldn't consider it too attached. Forming friendships was normal to most. For Johanna, friends were something you lost, and she didn't let herself find them that often, yet the more time she spent with Gale, the more she realized that having someone to talk to could be nice. Now seemed like a safer time for friendship than ever before.

By the end of the week, Johanna was starting to formulate a plan for the report back to her superiors about the weapons. She had a plan that she would present, and hopefully it would be enough. All she needed to do was put it together coherently for others.

"I think that's everything I need," Johanna concluded as she began gathering up her things that lay scattered across the table. "I'll let you know if there's any more information we need later, but for right now, I'm good."

Gale nodded, not saying anything as he watched her stand up. Johanna made it ten steps across the room before Gale's voice stopped her.

"Johanna, wait."

Johanna paused, hesitating for a moment before turning around to look at Gale again. He frowned at her, not sure why he had stopped her. Johanna could see how difficult this was for him from the way his forehead creased and mouth twitched.

Gale finally continued. "I don't have many friends here, and I'm willing to bet you're in a similar position. And as much as I absolutely hate admitting this, you're not that bad, Mason, so I just wanted to let you know that, if you're interested in becoming friends, then, uh yeah, I'm here."

He'd turned a light pink by now. A color Johanna remembered from the first time they'd met and she'd managed to embarrass him. Johanna smirked in amusement. Gale Hawthorne didn't let himself get flustered often, but he didn't know how to handle this. Johanna pretended to debate her answer before speaking.

"I suppose I could put up with you sometimes. Not too often though."

"Of course not."

Johanna laughed, a rare sound, and raised her hand up to wave. "Bye, Hawthorne."

"Bye, Johanna."

It was the closest thing to contentedness Johanna could remember feeling in years.


End file.
